en hair floating like a black
veil around the wasted form. Just before her stood the old woman,
weird-like, her wrinkled, swarthy face exposed to full view, while the
silver hair, unbound by her exertion, streamed in the night breeze.
Loosely her clothes hung about her, and the thin, bony hands were
clasped tightly as she bent forward and gazed on the marble face of
the dead. Wonder, awe, fear, pity, all strangely blended in her dark
countenance.

Inez groaned, and rocked herself to and fro, as if crushed in body and
spirit. She could not lay him to rest forever without the bitterest
anguish, for in life she had worshiped him, and in death her heart
clung to the loved form. Again and again she kissed the cold hand she
held.

"Senorita, we must make haste to lay him in, and cover him closely.
Don't waste time weeping now; you cannot give him life again. Have
done, Senorita Inez, and let us finish our work."

"I am not weeping, Senora! I have not shed a single tear; yet be
patient: surely there is yet time."

Inez straightened the cloak in which Frank Bryant was shrouded, placed
the hands calmly by his side, and softly smoothed the dark hair on his
high and noble brow. She passionately kissed the cold lips once, then
covered forever the loved, loved features, and they carefully lowered
the still form into its last resting-place.

They stood up, and the old dame pointed to the earth piled on either
side. Inez shuddered and closed her eyes a moment, as if unequal to
the task.

Her companion stooped, and was in the act of tossing forward a mass of
earth; but Inez interposed: "Senora, softly! I will do this: remember
there is no coffin."

Fearfully calm was her tone as she slowly pushed in the earth. There
was no hollow echo, such as ofttimes rends the heart of the mourner,
but a heavy, dull sound of earth crushing earth. Gradually she filled
the opening even with the surface, then carefully scattered the
remaining sod.

"I will not raise a mound, for they would tear him up, should they
know where I have laid him." Inez walked away, and gathering a
quantity of brown, shriveled leaves, and also as much grass as she
could draw from the short bunches, sprinkled them on the grave and
along the fresh earth.

"Think you, Senora, they will find him here?"

"No, no, Senorita! none will know that we have buried him. But the
night is already far gone, why do you linger?"

For a moment longer Inez gazed down upon the new